Vehicle-rack.



N0- 636,949. Patented Nov. I4, |899.v

A. L. BUCHER.

VEHICLE RACK.

(Application filed Aug. 28, 1899.)

No. 636,949. Patented Nov. I4. |899.v

A. L; BucHEn.

- VEHICLE RACK.

' (Application led Aug. 28, 1899.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT L. BCHER, OF NORTH BALTIMORE, OHIO.l

VEHICLE-RACK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 636,949, dated November14, 1899.

Application filed August 28, 1899. Serial No. 728,749. (No model.)

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT L. BCHER, a citizen of the United States,residing at North Baltimore, in the county of Wood and State of Ohio,have invented a new and useful Vehicle-Rack, of which the followingis aspecication.

My present invention relates to Vehicleracks of that class designatedcombination wagon-racks, which employed as an attachment for farm orother Wagons are designed to adapt the latter for the accommodation offreight of varying form and bulk.

The object of the invention is to produce a simple,readily-detachable,and easily-adj ustable rack designed in its Variouspositions to accommodate hay, Wood, grain, and various other classes ofload.

In its specific aspect the invention consists in the novel constructionhereinafter de-v scribed and illustrated, and succinctly pointedout inthe appended claim.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View of a wagonbody or platform provided with my rack, the side racks being shown intheir two intermediate adjustments for the purpose of illustrating themanner in which the rack is adapted for the accommodation of stick-wood.Fig. 2 is a side View of the same, showing the racks in their elevatedpositions. Fig. 3 is an end view showing the racks in their depressedpositions for the accommodation of hay. Fig. 4 is a detail view inperspective of one of the keepers and the connected parts of thestructure, and Fig. 5 is a detail view in perspective of one of thespring-stirrups designed for the adjustable retention and support of thelinks.

Referring to the numerals of reference on the drawings, 1 indicates theWagon-platform, designed to be supported upon running-gear in theordinary manner and provided with side rails 2.

3 and 4 indicate head or end racks, prefere ably, though notnecessarily,bolted at their lower ends between the rails 2 at the opposite ends ofthe wagon and comprising the side pieces 5' and 6 and one or morecross-pieces 7.

8 indicates an end braceextending between the extremities of the rails 2immediately beyond the end frames 3 and 4, serving to brace the railsand to aid in the support of the end frames, which, as illustrated, arein divergent relation.

9 9 indicate extensible sections of the end frames, the preferred mannerof mounting them being by way of hinges 10, intermediate of thecontiguous ends of the end frames and their extensions and located alongone edge in order that the contiguous end faces of the side bars will becorrelative when the extensible sections are swung upwardly intoalinelnent with the end frames, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, andthere secured by means of catches ll, located opposite the hinges.

12 12 indicate the side racks, comprising a series of standards 13,united by a series of vhorizontal rack-bars 14 and hinged at their lowerends by means of ordinary slip-pintle hinges 15 to the rails 2. It willnow be seen that by means of this hinged connection between the sideracks and the rails of the Wagon-body the' former may be swung to anydesired position, and I shall now proceed to a description of novelsupporting and adjusting mechanism which I have devised for readilyarranging the racks in the several positions illustrated for theaccommodation of the various materials to be hauled.

16. 16, cbc., indicate a series of keepers located, respectively, uponeach of the standards 13 of the racks 12, preferably about midway oftheir length, and accommodating one end of supporting and adjustinglinks 17, the

event the racks may be retained in any position from the vertical (atwhich time the rack is retained against the sides ofthe end frames bycatches 20, the upper end of the links lying at the lower ends of thekeepers) to the almost horizontal position for the accommo-- IOO dationof hay, at which time the upper ends of the links are situated at theupper extremities of the keepers, serving to brace the racks.

The spring-stirrups 18 permit the links t0 swing freely to accommodatethemselves to various positions of the racks, and when itis desired toremove the racks entirely from the vehicle it is simply necessary toslip the pintles of the hinges l5 and draw the lower ends of the linksfrom the stirrups, slightly more than casual force being required forthe latterpurpose, as itis intended that the inturned extremities 2l ofthe free or outer side of the stirrup shall in some measure resist thecasual displacement of the link, Without, however, opposing materialresistance to the detachment of the parts when it is desired to use thevehicle Without the rack.

The embodiment of my invention illustrated and described appears at thistime preferable; but I do not desire to limit myself to the structuraldetails enumerated, as it is obvious that they are susceptible ofchange, modication, and variation within the scope of the protectionprayed.

Vthat I claim is- In a vehicle-rack, the combination with a support, ofa rack detachably hinged thereto and provided with a keeper and a seriesof rests Within the keeper, a link movable Within the keeper anddesigned to engage the rests to adj ustably retain the rack, and aspringstrrup carried by the support, provided with an inturned end anddesigned to detachably retain the lower end of the link.

1n testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aixed mysignature in the presence of two Witnesses.

ALBERT L. BCHER.

Witnesses:

GEO. W. EWING, J. F. Woon.

